A variety of chemical compositions intended primarily for the cleaning of limited areas of soiled textiles are available. These "spot cleaning" compositions are either liquids or suspensions of absorbent solids. For example, organic solvents or foamable water-based surfactant systems can be directly dispensed onto soiled carpetry, upholstery, clothing and the like. Alternatively, suspensions of solids in solvents can be sprayed or daubed onto spill areas. For example, French Pat. No. 2015972 discloses the application of a mixture of pulverized synthetic foam and water-alcohol to furniture textiles. When the foam has dried, it is removed from the fabric, as by vacuuming.
In order to loosen or disperse the soil, all of these compositions require that the textiles be wetted. This is disadvantageous in that a portion of the soil is driven deeper into the textile fibers. Furthermore, the use of such compositions requires either active or passive textile drying by the user, during which time the treated article cannot be used.
Finally, cleaning compositions which include substantial amounts of water or other solvent systems are ineffective to remove liquid soils.
Therefore a need exists for a dry-type cleaner which can effectively remove wet and dry soils from a wide variety of textile surfaces. A further need exists for a textile cleaner which can be effectively applied to small spill areas without wetting the textile fibers.